If this sounds like you, email critic@critic.co.nz . But be warned – if you dine on the free food and dash without sending us a writeup, a Critic writer will write one under your name. And that won’t end well for you.
Ed
A fourth-year, finishing Maths and Spanish. He’s a runner, loves exercising and is one of the few students who abstains from alcohol.After reading enough “Love Is Blind” articles, I noticed a general trend of people giving themselves a little liquid courage before their blind date. I, however, didn’t give myself that luxury and hoped that my nerves would be those of steel. After being pestered by my flatmate to bring my date back to the flat later in the night so she could meet her, I left my flat a little early so I could pop in and visit my mates for a last-minute pep talk, and then I was on my way to Di Lusso.
I arrived a couple of minutes early, preferring to be the one who waits instead of the one who makes my date wait. Once I was there, my nerves started to crack a little, but thankfully I only had to wait a few minutes before my date turned up and was pointed in my direction. She was a pretty blonde, and my nerves went away as soon as we started talking. We discovered we’re both Kiwihosts, and it was good to find something in common that early into the conversation. The conversation flowed smoothly, with only a couple of pauses where we were trying to think of the next topic.
Eventually the food — which I’d been given the tough task of choosing — arrived, but I don’t know if neither of us was that hungry or if we were both just too involved in talking that we didn’t actually end up eating that much of it, even though it was good food. Before we knew it, it was approaching 10pm and we decided it was time to make tracks and head home as we finished our conversation. We soon reached the fork in the road where our houses were in separate directions and parted ways with a hug. Sorry to the weekly readers looking for something scandalous, but the only thing I ended the night with was her number, which I plan on using.
Thanks to Di Lusso and Critic for the food, drinks and a great night. It was a great experience, and I recommend it to anyone thinking of signing themselves or a friend up.
T Swizzel
A single third-year searching for a good night and stories to tell the grandkids. She’s sick of being the good girl.F rom studying past blind dates, I’ve learnt that the best way to start the night is to warm up beforehand, so I played beer pong before heading to Di Lusso fashionably four minutes late.
Unfortunately, I had been paired with the self-proclaimed “only student in Dunedin who doesn’t drink.” My date was an Ed Sheeran look-alike with academic talents instead of musical ones. We had a great time bonding over a few common interests, including political views and being Kiwihosts. Despite the fact that Ed Sheeran wasn’t drinking, I decided to take it upon myself to try out a few of the cocktails; it wasn’t until after the date that I realised how strong the cocktails actually were and, looking back, my attempts at acting sober probably failed miserably.
I’ve had my fair share of awkward dates but thankfully this wasn’t one of them. Although he preferred How I Met Your Mother to Friends (which is pretty much a deal-breaker) as far as I can remember he had pretty good chat and at least pretended to listen while I drunkenly word-vomited about nothing in particular. At about 10pm, after a few bathroom phone calls, I felt like I needed to leave before I drank any more, so we began the trek down George Street, politely greeting freshers on the way. After parting ways outside The Good Earth with a decidedly G-rated hug, I made my way to Castle Street to meet my flatmates.
So even though I could feel the alcohol burning through my bloodstream, I didn’t really feel afire with love; I can’t see us building a Lego house, so maybe I’m your Taylor Swift not your Ellie Goulding. Or maybe I was just too focused on not slurring my speech to feel a connection.
Overall, I had some good drinks with a nice guy, so thanks Ed Sheeran for a nice night and for helping me tick another item off my Scarfie bucket list. Looks like I’ll be continuing my quest to find my ginger Prince Charming.